The significance of the detox treatment program in Maine to its overall treatment program cannot be belied. Detox is that part of the treatment in which the patient's dependency of the substance is tried to be removed by making them abstain from the substance. This is done in an inpatient treatment setting in most cases, though there are outpatient detox treatment programs in some cases.

Though the abstinence is the mode in which the detox treatment program in Maine is implemented, there is a lot that goes into it. Here is a general format of the detox treatment program's implementation in Maine.

1.The patient is first analyzed with mere verbal interviews and biological tests to ascertain whether he or she is suffering from any psychiatric or physical conditions that might come in the way of the detox treatment. This is where different modes of treatment may be implemented in case the person's body is not found to be fit for the detox. If it is deemed fit, then the patient will be continued with the detox treatment.

2.The next step is to house the patient in an inpatient setting. Total abstinence will be started.

3.At this time, the patient will be provided some medication that can help them overcome the urge for the substance. This medication will keep the temptation for the substance at bay as long as it is taken in the right dosage. Hence this medication is called as the maintenance medication. The maintenance medication will continue during the entire duration of the detox treatment program in Maine and even after that during the aftercare program.

4.Now, the patient will experience the withdrawal within one or two days of beginning the abstinence. This will actually depend on the nature and the extent of the person's addiction. In cases of alcohol detox, the withdrawal wouldn't last for more than three days, but in cases of addictions like methamphetamine and heroin, the withdrawal might go on even for as much as one month.

5.As the withdrawal occurs, the treatment providers will check the initial symptoms and provide medication for it based on how the symptoms are progressing. Some people might feel muscle cramps and body aches; others might have nausea and fits of giddiness and dizziness. These need to be answered immediately. Short term medication therapies are implemented in order to get the patient out of these symptoms.

6.When the withdrawal is completely done with, the patient's detox treatment program in Maine is assumed to be over. Still, the addiction treatment program continues. The patient will be referred to an aftercare therapy after the detox program. Depending on the extent of the person's addiction and the kind of withdrawal the person faced during the detox, they will be sent to either an outpatient treatment program or a residential treatment program for the aftercare. People with severe conditions are sent to the residential treatment programs while those with milder conditions are given outpatient aftercare.

Because the detox treatment is so important in the overall addiction treatment program in Maine, it becomes important to see what the purposes of this program are. The main purpose of the program is definitely to purify the person's internal system from the various toxic substances that might have accumulated in it because of the addiction. The longer the addiction, more will be the toxins accumulated in the body and hence, longer will be the period of the detox treatment. However, it is important to remove these toxins for two main reasons:-

1.It is very important to purify the body. If not, there could be health complications. These complications will make the addiction treatment more difficult and then the persistent addiction would play badly on the health condition. Thus, a cycle of deterioration will be set up which will be quite difficult to break. The health complications can arise at any time in the patient. There are people who give up their addictions but then develop some complications years afterward. Hence, it is best to remove these causative toxins early on.

2.The second reason is that it will not be possible to take the person out of the addiction unless and until the person is not completely cleansed from the addictive substances accumulated in their bodies. Addictive substances play on the brain and as long as the substance is present in the person's body, their brain will keep asking for more of it. For that reason, it becomes immensely important to have a successful detox program.